Jennifer the heroine was born and raised in the 30th century. She’s been tasked with attacking the Syndos – genetically-enhanced humans – before they destroy humankind. She will use the one-way time-travel device in 2971 to trans-time back to 2015 as she was a historian and archeologist specializing in the 21st century. There she will infect the Syndos as they are created with a virus to kill their disposition towards sociopathy.

In the 30th century, sexual variation of sexual behavior of all kinds are accepted by society. Their attitude towards sex has changed. The men take the wife’s family name and women are often the sexual aggressors. However, there are the Syndos who have two wives.

This is my view of our future given current trends in the past 300 years. Jennifer is bisexual and is looking for a man to have children with and women to enjoy sex with her and her husband. On the other hand, the Syndos have two wives, but the women are free to have lovers of either or both sexes. Even multiple sex partners are equally acceptable for men and women in the 30th century including swinging couples, bisexuals, homosexuals and others.

What is happening in our society today? According to university researchers, poly love or open marriages has been growing for decades along with couples adapting to and practicing the swinging lifestyle. These swinging activities were sometimes called wife swapping in the sixties. Thousands of years ago these activities were acceptable in the Ancient Greek and Roman societies as well as many other with no stigma. Given recent trends on gay and lesbian marriages, and increasing openess to open relationships and other less traditional forms of relationships, the pendulum may be swinging back.

August 9 is Book Lovers Day, an unofficial holiday that encourages people to pick up a book, or five, and spend the day reading.

On this day, honor all the bookworms and book lovers in your life. If you are a book lover yourself, then treat yourself to some quality reading time.

We have suggestions from a variety of genres, from Romance to SciFi, so scroll down and find your next read.

Or use our matchmaker video to help you pick!

Romance

MC: Knight: Book One, by L. Ann Marie

Steve is the VP of the MC. He’s autistic, talks funny—especially when stressed, and swears like a sailor. His mind works like a machine, focusing singularly on potential problems and clearing them with precision and stealth.

Military trained as a SEAL, he was a satellite for his team, but rarely involved with them. Working alone is what he’s best at, doing it quietly is what he excels at, and eliminating a threat to his MC family is what he was born to do.

When he turns that focus on Jess she doesn’t stand a chance and her natural sub tendencies are a perfect fit.

Jess is content being single, but after three years of being asked out she finally says yes to Steve. Jess lives with a debilitating ailment and is determined to hide that from her new MC family. Using her finance degree, Jess helps the MC stay out of the drug trade and they offer protection from union bosses in return. Pres and Jess work together to make the businesses profitable enough to keep his MC going and growing.

Keeping drugs out of their newly attained, clean world is a challenge that Steve will not walk away from, especially when Jess becomes a target.

Diary of a Hollywood Hottie …and Other Starlet Indignities, by Taylor Marsh

Olivia Stark is the highest paid starlet in Hollywood. She has just come through a harrowing event that could have been pulled straight from “Law & Order SVU.”

Olivia is to figure out how she can maximize her starlet power into a career that will give her the same clout as the men who get paid more simply because of their gender. Olivia wants real power in Hollywood, not just the easy attention that comes with youth, beauty, and starlet billing.

She wants longevity.

How does she get it?

Tap into the influence that the men in her industry wield, but how?

Diary of a Hollywood Hottie …and Other Starlet Indignities is a peek into what it’s like to be a 20-something hottie in Hollywood. It’s a psychological exercise by a woman who’s grappling with her own power, her desire to have a healthy relationship with a man, and the need to make her work and personal life fit together. There’s a sensitive, fearless young woman behind the body, talent, and prowess that comes with being a starlet in Hollywood.

Cameron Coleman’s latest project is her largest and riskiest historic renovation to date. A new architect offers to help in exchange for preservation experience. Then Cam makes two major mistakes—she falls in love with him and The Harte Estate. When evidence of an arson points to her apprentice, she must trust her heart, or be burned by love again.

Mystery, Thriller and Suspense

A Deep Thing, by A.K. Smith

What was her husband hiding in the jungles of Mexico?

Rocked by her husband’s tragic death, Kendall Jackson strives to put her life back together. But Ryder, her nineteen-year-old stepson, is bitter and wants nothing to do with her. And she can’t keep the grief at bay. Sometimes, it’s so strong, she wonders if life is worth living.

A call from a cave diver in Mexico gives her hope of mending the relationship with her stepson. Before his death, her husband arranged a diving expedition as a birthday gift for his son. Kendall persuades Ryder to honor his father’s last wish.

From the campus of Western Maryland College to the woods of Camp David and the caves of the Yucatán, Kendall and Ryder take a journey to discover what her husband worked so hard to hide, and to protect his treasured secrets from falling into the wrong hands. The choices they make will decide their fate and the future of others. Will they risk everything for the truth?

1898, East Africa. The Tsavo man-eaters kill 130 people over the course of nine months. The unusually large, pale-coloured, and maneless male lions mark history in what became known as their reign of terror.

Now, history is repeating itself. A new pride of killers has arrived in Tsavo, staking out their own bloody legacy. One that includes the murdered wife of conservationist and former hunter Thomas Walker.

Torn between the newfound happiness he has discovered in the Highlands of Scotland with his new fiancée, and his loyalty to the man whose brother has been taken by the man-eaters, Thomas must face his past and creatures feared as myth by his friend and the people of Kenya.

Arriving in Africa, Thomas finds the situation worsening as a local arms dealer and war lord declares the ‘critters of the bush’ are under his command to drive those not loyal to him from the land. With all not as it seems, the odds are stacked against Thomas and the small band of friends trying to restore balance to the region and its wildlife.

Toni Kief, author of Old Baggage, is excited to introduce a new work of fiction – and another feisty older woman, Mildred Petrie. Mildred sat in the human resources department at the casino, painfully aware of her age compared to the other applicants. She had assumed after a long marriage that they would settle into a comfortable retirement, but when her husband died it all changed. Little did anyone realize the loss would lead her to a life of corruption, crime and disguise. Only Mildred can find the truth! A thrilling read in sensible shoes.

The man she loves walks all over her, and she just wants to get by without her heart shattering to pieces. If she could find her voice, she’d scream.

Everything changes in one night, when she’s snatched from the streets and tied to a bed, a camera set up to capture her dying moment. And the person who paid to watch her die…is still out there somewhere.

Tessa prowls dark neighborhoods in a quest for justice, but she doesn’t find the killer. Not until they strike again…in the place Tessa is least expecting, and where it hurts worst.

Hidden beneath a lump of clay and dirt is a very rare art work crafted by a Japanese artist known as a warrior. Two museum curators, who specialize in Asian art say it is valuable but renowned appraiser, Annette Williams claims it is worthless and her words carry weight in the art world. So which is it?

Pete White, an insurance investigator disappears from the museum where he is researching the treasure. Did he uncover its true value or find it’s a fake?

Lieutenant Detective Philip Samyn wonders why he is assigned to investigate a low priority robbery from a museum. Is his boss trying to push him to retire? He never thought his last case would be a missing laptop. That’s not how he envisioned leaving the force.

His investigation proves we see never the complete picture. There is always something hidden beneath.

Struggling writer and nearly bankrupt Sean O’Shea is searching for the blockbuster story from which he can create a best seller. The goal is to regain his financial independence and self-esteem. When he learns of a horrific 1936 UFO crash in Germany’s Black Forest, he chases the story to its origin. The discovery of insidious Nazi involvement piques his interest and when he unearths secret assassinations of previous investigators, he is hooked. As his probe continues, witnesses are murdered and he becomes the target of deadly agents sent by the most powerful man in the Vatican-The Black Pope. The cover-up is greater than he ever imagined. When he discovers that UFO’s, Nazis, Wewelsburg Castle and the Vatican are connected, he has the killer story he envisioned, though it just may kill him to get it published.

Savannah Dey politely agreed to attend her ex-husband’s wedding, but she’d be grateful for any reason to get out of it…which is why the speeding ticket from the handsome sheriff of Adams Grove is both a surprise and a reprieve. With one quick call to her editor, the aspiring columnist finds herself with a new assignment and the perfect excuse to get closer to the man who pulled her over. Now, all she needs is a way to deal with all the bad memories the small town dredges up…

Sheriff Scott Calvin can’t forget the woman who set off his radar, but he’s determined to send Savannah on her way. He’s done making bad choices, and this beautiful city gal is sure to leave Adams Grove once she finishes her story. By the time she’s stirred up a hornet’s nest, he’s already falling for her. Will trouble bind them together, or will her secrets tear them apart?

When hot shot investigator and math genius Duncan Dewar decides to head a life insurance inquiry, he has no idea what he’s soon to encounter. Hoping to learn more about his ancestry, Duncan is drawn to the village of Taye, Scotland, where his past and future are about to collide, altering the trajectory of his life forever. Was the laird of Castle Taye accidently crushed by a merlon from his own battlement, or are more sinister forces at work? Is the alluring widow and beneficiary of eleven million pounds to blame, or innocent? Is a ghost seeking vengeance against members of Clan MacNab for the slaughter of her loved one hundreds of years ago? Will Duncan be the next victim of the merlon murders? Follow Duncan on a culinary tour of breathtaking Scotland as he navigates through relationships with the villagers of Taye in his quest for answers. The Merlon Murders I is part one of a two part mystery.

Marc Rinaldi thought he’d gotten out. He’d escaped a life of murder and extortion, devoting his skills to fight for his country. But his past wasn’t done with him yet.

When forced to come home, Marc is caught up in a conspiracy within the new criminal order of Chicago, where he must choose between becoming the monster he was and the man he is desperately trying to be.

June 4, 1967, was supposed to be a high point in Noah Greenspan’s year. It’s the night before the grand opening of Potomac Centre, the urban development project he spearheaded in the heart of Washington, DC. But the outbreak of the Six-Day War in the Middle East eclipses the event.

In the aftermath of the short, bloody war, Noah’s fiancee, Palestinian American journalist Alexandra Salaman, is assigned to Israel to cover the political implications for Israelis and Palestinians alike. It’s a dangerous task, partly because Alexandra was, years earlier, instrumental in preventing a terrorist attack and partly because she’s a Christian Arab engaged to Noah, a Jew. Such a marriage is certain to arouse anger from either side of the Israeli-Palestinian divide.

As Noah deals with legal and financial challenges to Potomac Centre, he and Alexandra find their relationship challenged by her insistence on staying in Israel to do her job – and by reunions with old lovers.

Neither knows that a figure from Alexandra’s past, the terrorist Omar Samir, plans to strike deep in the heart of the American capital. His target? Potomac Centre.

Raven’s ragtag team thwarted an EMP attack by terrorists with Iranian nukes, but paid a terrible price. Everyone on his team was badly injured. A peaceful neighborhood was left in flames. Raven doesn’t officially exist. People are demanding explanations, but what doesn’t exist can’t be explained or defended. Politically it is easier to deny covert agents than support them.

The few who know what happened dare not say how close America came to Armageddon. An EMP attack would have killed at least 70% in major cities. Publicizing the extent of our vulnerability would create panic.

Raven’s partner Josie, a gentle psychic with exceptional powers, is catatonic. Her mind shut down from the trauma of red, raw combat. She is gone along with their dreams of someday having normal lives. Raven swore to protect her. She trusted him, but he failed. They were outnumbered and outgunned in their own Homeland.

From the White House to the UN, our enemies have friends in high places. Instead of targeting civilian populations, terrorists will now directly attack America’s leaders and the thin black line of agents that protect America. Remove the protectors and the sheep will be helpless.

Confession Of Sin: Not All Secrets Should Be Kept, by Victoria M.Patton

Five years as a homicide detective and after his last case, Damien thought he had seen the worst of humanity. Until now. Blood coats the steps at St. Florentine Cathedral in Chicago Illinois. Lieutenant Damien Kaine and his partner Detective Joe Hagan stand over the mutilated body of Father Mandahari. Who wanted Father Mandahari to die in such a heinous way, and why? A note left by the killer indicates the Catholic Church is hiding secrets, and those secrets are getting priests killed. Another priest is violently murdered, and now Damien and Joe must battle the Catholic Church to get information that will help them narrow in on a suspect. Not only does Damien have a ruthless killer on his hands, but he also has a secret admirer who wants his attention. When Damien receives a gift, it becomes apparent this is no school girl crush. As the stalker becomes more desperate to gain Damien’s love, Damien will stop at nothing to protect Dillon. It is that desperation that puts he and Joe in a situation with deadly consequences.

Kate’s life was in turmoil after the death of her parents. She’d always been protected and sheltered by them. Suddenly she finds herself with a conniving fiancé living under her roof, a powerful businessman with terrorist ties from across the ocean trying to kill her and more family secrets than most American politicians. She was also unaware that a half brother she knew nothing of was about to enter her life. Her situation was getting precarious right at the moment she was least able to cope with it.

This is a story of darkness and pain written from the mind of a tortured soul.

Lisa Brennan has spent her life battling her own internal demons that assault her in the form of dark nightmares and twisted visions that she cannot escape from. She uses the pages of her books to share her dark secrets and find momentary relief from the torment. She locks herself away from society and develops a cold, hostile exterior that thinly veils her otherness. When she moves to 4014 Cemetery Hill Lane, in a small town in Virginia, the chilling noises and strange events begin to pull at the shreds of her sanity. She starts on a journey to unlock the secrets that lay hidden in the dark and twisting halls of the house, which are inexplicably linked to her own inner suffering.

2016: Lee Thomas is a Pulitzer-winning reporter living in New York. He should have the world at his feet, but he’s struggling to come to terms with the trauma in his life. Soon he finds his faith drawing him towards events happening an ocean away in Ireland.

Thirty years earlier, Sean Robinson is born in a small rural village in the West of Ireland. As he grows up he shows himself to be exceptional in many ways, but only a few are aware someone truly special is in their midst. Inevitably the hierarchy in both the Catholic and Anglican churches realize that they must protect and learn from this exceptional young man, feeling his influence will extend far beyond his country of birth.

The doorbell rings in the home of a prominent Palm Beach citizen, quickly followed by a shotgun blast that shatters a window, cracking the calm of a cool January night. Rodger Kriger falls to the floor, mortally wounded, leaving a wife and six children.

Murder in Palm Beach: The Homicide That Never Died is closely based on a sensational, real murder that happened in the posh ocean-side town in 1976. In the thin guise of fiction, the book contains shocking new information never before made public. Author Bob Brink, an award-winning journalist, was a newspaper reporter in the locale where the assassination occurred. It made media headlines for 15 years.

An ambitious prosecutor pins the deed on Mitt Hecher, a hoodlum and karate expert. At Hecher’s trial, fellow jail inmates testify that he confessed. He is convicted and sentenced to the brutal and anarchic state prison at Raiford, where a stabbing a day and a killing a week are the “mean” average.

Scifi & Fantasy

Adventure to Destiny: The Unity Objective Series, by Sandra Golden

Cousins J.R Black, and Helaina Unity are struggling. Helaina’s dreams, and visions are telling her things she doesn’t understand, and J.R’s drawings of a mysterious machine are driving them forward into the unknown as they seek answers. Answers to questions like: “Why are they developing unusual skills? Why can they have private conversation without even speaking one word? And what are the people of Hope Island hiding.” Helaina’s visions and J.R’s skills will take them to astonishing and unique places, as they battle dangerous enemies, from Earth, and beyond. Discovering that accepting what they are is much easier than accepting who they are. Which is “The One’s”.

On a whim, feisty Tabitha takes a trip to the future with her trusted friend Milt, an awkward Science professor. Wonders and curiosities abound. However, their amusing journey soon becomes a challenging maze of difficult decisions. When an unplanned detour occurs, the two set events into action that may save one life and yet destroy another. Can these friends of completely different mindsets agree on a course of action?

Amid the backdrop of a future that reveals great wonders and horrors, Detours in Time starts as a fantastic escape and grows to present many moral dilemmas and surprises that can either destroy the strongest friendship or bring two people closer.

In a world where Trainers rule and every calorie counts, you need to get fit or die trying.

There’s only one goal in the city of Famecili, and that is to become the ideal. Toned, tanned, and beautiful. The SuperGym Trainers are going to get you there by any means necessary. Health guru, Benjamin Pratt, hand-picked them to make sure you get fit or die trying. Come train with the best of the best. It’s not like you really have a choice.

Maggie is not the ideal. She’s not toned, tan, or beautiful, and she never will be. But, she is special. She has a special power that makes her dangerous, and her body seems completely resistant to change. Mr. Pratt loves a challenge and becomes obsessed with Maggie. He is going to do everything he can to make her the ideal. Maggie is focused entirely on escaping Mr. Pratt and his SuperGyms. There is a wall outside the city, and she is determined to get over it. But, is freedom what waits for her on the other side?

Prosperine: The Adventures of the Space Heroine Hickory Lace, by PJ McDermott

A Science Fiction Trilogy with a Supernatural Edge. Unlike Earth, the planet Prosperine has never experienced a mass extinction event. For hundreds of thousands of years, creatures akin to dinosaurs were the dominant species…and slowly they evolved into something else.

Modern day Perines are intelligent bipeds, who live in a medieval, warlike, society. But their children still hatch from eggs, and eating meat is deadly to them. So, it comes as a shock to the Alien Corps when one of them is seen to be performing miracles.

Commander Hickory Lace and her crew, space pilot Jess Parker and the young genius Gareth Blanquette, are sent to Prosperine to investigate.

What starts off as a routine mission soon develops into a life-threatening crisis. Interplanetary politics, a bloody revolution, alien mercenaries, a mystic known as “the Teacher,” and a sword with supernatural power are just a few of the challenges Hickory must deal with. Explosive and unexpected, the story moves at a furious pace to reach an astonishing conclusion.

2095 – An alien signal has been received on Earth, but what does it mean? Who used the archaic code to send a message? More importantly, what do they want?

Spaceship Antariksh, led by Captain Anara, is on its way to the origin of the signal. Heading up the first interstellar journey from Earth to make contact with beings from another planet, Captain Anara thought she was prepared for anything…but someone is keeping secrets from her.

Finally nearing their destination, 4.2 lightyears away, Captain Anara and her crew discover things are not what they seem. Mysteries abound and the truth is stranger than they ever imagined!

Will the crew of the Antariksh overcome unsurmountable odds to uncover the truth or will interstellar travel bring only death and destruction?

Gabriel appears autistic because he hears a voice. The voice is real, but it is a supernatural presence. This voice gives him a power that he can transfer by touch. Gabriel does not trust this presence, though he finds that the wonder of what he is experiencing is far too great for him to resist.

Gabriel’s “autism” is really a defense against the weight of the power that has engulfed his heart, mind and soul, from the very beginning. He has no memory of his parents and in actuality, the voice, which causes him so much distress, is the only reality he has ever known. Living in an orphanage in Austin, Texas, all of his life, the voice has shown him more attention and love than any other person.

He befriends one other special young person in that orphanage, Joshua Fellows. Joshua also has experienced little love in his short life. The bond between these two young boys is the beginning of an amazing journey

Young Adult

I would, but my damn mind won’t let me! – a teen’s guide to controlling their thoughts and feelings, by Jacqui Letran

Do you believe that life is unfair or that change is impossible? Are you unhappy and frustrated with your life? If you answered yes, you’re not alone! Teen Confidence Expert, Jacqui Letran, is here to show you a quick and easy path to a happier, healthier life. You can learn to create permanent changes for the better!

Your past can cause you to believe that making positive improvements requires a miracle. In Letran’s award-winning book, I would, but my DAMN MIND won’t let me!, you will learn the simple steps to overcome your obstacles and struggles. Once you understand how your mind works, you will have the knowledge and power to take control of your thoughts and feelings. The power to challenge your old negative patterns and create the exact life you want is in your hands.

The fate of a kingdom rests on the shoulders of three young wizards who couldn’t be more different.

Bakari is a brilliant scholar wizard who’s more at home in a library than a battlefield. Alli is a beautiful young battle wizard whose grace in battle is both enchanting and deadly. Roland is a counselor wizard with a seemingly limitless depth of untapped power — and the ego to match it.

As the magical barrier protecting the kingdom of Alaris from dangerous outsiders begins to fail, and a fomenting rebellion threatens to divide the country in a civil war, the three wizards are thrust into the middle of a power struggle.

When the barrier comes down, the truth comes out. Was everything they were taught about their kingdom based on a lie? Will they all choose to fight on the same side, or end up enemies in the battle over who should rule Alaris?

Death is never more than an airlock away for the denizens of Hell, the last deck before the Void on the last station in human space.

It’s a place where justice is for sale and slavers hawk their human merchandise to the highest bidder. But to Rick, a scarred, bitter Lupan warrior, it’s home – or at least the one place in the known universe where he can ignore all the death warrants on him throughout the rest of the Commonwealth. It’s also the place where a few drops of the most precious liquid in all of human space can buy him a berth on the last ship back to his birth world. Until a mysterious, vaguely familiar woman walks into the dive Rick runs. And brings his deadly, ugly past in with her.

Women’s Fiction

La Vita: Chronicles of an Italian Immigrant Family in a Small New England Town, by Don Arsenault

1920.

Assunta and her young daughters, Marietta and Maddalena, leave their mountain commune in the Gran Sasso of Italy and begin their journey to the promised better life in America where Camillo, her long-absent husband and father of the girls, waits for them. The story takes us from the confusion of their departure in Antwerp, the crossing of the Atlantic in steerage, their detainment on Ellis Island, to the mountains of northern New Hampshire where, after the birth of two more children, their better life is cut short by Camillo’s death. Left with four dependent children, Assunta, a non-citizen, must find ways to keep the family together through the Great Depression, the Bank Holiday that wiped out her substantial nest egg; Prohibition, World War 2 with its intensified anti-Italian prejudice, the threat of deportation, and the consequences of her mistaken marriage of convenience – all of which leave her with bittersweet memories of the life she lived on three continents with two husbands and six children.

Self Help

Secrets to Shine Through the Noise, by Akasha Garnier

Author Akasha Lin Garnier presents Secrets to Shine through the Noise, A compelling journey from starving artist to mentorship, world travel, award-winning branding and a travel thriller series. In this cinematic guide, the author shares how to create an actionable plan and how to make a brand distinctive to rise above the noise.

This is a personal development book written by an author who has used goal setting, the law of attraction, vision boards, meditation,self hypnosis, and mind movies to attract a great life. The author shares what he has learned from the experts in personal development, and offers suggestions of actions people can take to attract a great life. He is not claiming to be a self help expert like Tony Robbins, but rather as a person who has been practicing what the experts recommend for the last thirty years. The author shares stories from his life experiences, and examples of what has worked for him.

Earthgame: Hints for Mastering the Greatest Game in the Universe, by Rochelle P. Bartholomew

Fellow members of the human race, have you forgotten how incredibly powerful and badass you are? To live IS an awfully big adventure, perhaps the biggest adventure in the entire universe. But this adventure, like all great adventures, is challenging, somewhat painful, and at times terrifying! Instead of running out to meet the challenge, many of us find ourselves stuck in a constant state of low-grade fear and anxiety. Great sages and teachers throughout time have had one message to humanity: “fear not.” You were built for this! Earthgame will show you why there is no need to feel afraid. It will uplift you and inspire you to live your days more carefree, childlike, open, and courageously. We’re going to talk fundamentals, theory, and technique. A straight up ‘how-to’ section on meditation will get you started if you are a beginner and if you are more experienced, help you go deeper than ever thought possible.

To everyone in the middle of living a life right now, Earthgame is the mid-game pep talk you may be needing!

Spiritual

The Warrior, by Joyce Swann

James is sitting at a Ft. Worth intersection waiting for the light to change when he hears the roar of a truck speeding toward him. Before he can react, his motorcycle is crushed, and he is thrown fifty feet onto the median.

At that precise moment in Dallas, Elizabeth’s sleep is interrupted by a vivid dream in which she witnesses James’ accident. As she watches him begin to pass from life to death, she extends her hand and cries, “Don’t die if you don’t know Jesus!”

Although neither James nor Elizabeth is aware of the other’s existence, they begin a ten-year odyssey in which their lives are inexorably intertwined, changing their futures and the futures of those they love most.

“The Warrior” is a moving testimony to the power of prayer and God’s desire to redeem every life.

Paranormal

Loving Bear: A BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance, by Amber Belmont

Should you ever date your boss?

Jess Bevan doesn’t have time to worry if Mr Right will ever show up. She has enough to deal with studying, working, and helping her mom raise her kid brother. Love and romance was never really her thing anyway. She couldn’t cope with the inevitable heartache.

But when Nick Ford becomes her temporary manager, everything changes. He’s arrogant, annoying – and also the most attractive man Jess has ever met. He’s the one complication she can do without.

It’s hard to deny her feelings for him, but does Nick feel the same way? Is he looking for a good time or does he want something more, something Jess can’t give? And is it wise to get involved with her boss?

Loving Nick could destroy everything she’s worked so hard for. Is he really worth the risk?

I’ve WON 11 writing awards. Four of which are for Tunney’s Curse that doesn’t come out until August 1st. It’s an amazing gift to be awarded writing awards on a book that hasn’t made it to the mass market as of yet.

How did you get into writing?

I was a news anchor and journalist. Writing has been my lifelong profession. To trace it to its root, I started making up stories when I was a small child. When I learned to write, I began writing them down and stapling them together to form a “book.” Writing is something I like to say is innate for me—as if it was breathed into me at birth. When I was in high school, I had an English teacher that pushed me to write more, be better, to focus. She submitted one of my pieces to a contest called Wings of Freedom. It won and was displayed in the White House and then the later in the halls of Congress. It inspired me to keep writing. I selected journalism in college so that I could write daily. I’ve spent nearly every day since writing in one way or another. I knew early on that being an author was ultimately where I would finish my professional career. I’m truly lucky to be living that dream.

What are your top 3 books of all time?

Hands down the best books of all times are: The Scarlet Letter, Gone With The Wind, and The Great Gatsby.

Where did you get the inspiration for your current book?

A dear friend snapped a photograph of an old Royal typewriter, seated in a beautiful tan and maroon case, which her family had been gifted. Knowing my affinity for antiques, especially those that deal with writing and literary works, she sent me a text one early Sunday morning with the words, “Look at what David’s father gave us.”

I hadn’t yet made my way out of bed as it was still very early. Hearing the familiar chime of my phone, I wondered who was texting me at that time. As the photo came through, with it came the idea for the first book. I sprang from bed and began outlining. Unbeknownst to her, that single photo became my muse. In honor of this gift, I named the main character after her daughter, Elizabeth. The rest of the series has honestly taken on a life of its own. I write as it comes and once I start, it’s impossible to get the characters to stop finding their through my fingertips.

How long did it take you to write this book?

Four months. Once I start writing I cannot turn off the characters. I write quickly and love that process.

Have you got any writing rituals?

I have gotten accustomed to writing wherever I am. I’ve lucky to be able to travel with my writing career. So I’ve written much of the third book in The Whizbang series on various planes. While I’m home I always write in my office. It’s a separate space in my home that belongs to me, and me alone.

I’m an early riser. I write 7 days a week starting at 5 a.m. I generally can whip out a chapter by 10 a.m.

How important is marketing and social media for you?

It’s nearly everything! With stores closing and readers turning to mostly digital purchasing whether for a bound book or an e-Book, it’s important to reach the readers. Readers can’t find your work unless you expose it to them. Marketing and social media is nearly the only way!

Do you read your book reviews?

It depends, honestly. I used to read every single review. I learned early on that everyone’s taste is different. What one may love someone else may not. Being a reader is subjective to taste and life experience. I keep that in mind while reading the reviews I do read. Otherwise, I usually stay clear of them altogether. Good or bad, it doesn’t change that I love what I do.

What advice would you have for other writers?

Write every single day. It’s that simple. Great writing comes from exercising the writing muscle, so to speak. There is not a magical formula to award-winning writing. It’s truthfully like anything else in life–practice makes progress.

What are you reading now?

Eek! Nothing. I’m in the middle of writing the third book in The Whizbang series. I do not read while writing. It becomes too messy.

What’s your next step?

Keep writing! I’m working on my series. I have a stack of finished manuscripts to address thereafter. I’m going to keep writing, promoting, and striving for the top.

A single wisp of smoke traced up my nose and clung to the back of my throat. My lips parted, breaking the Whizbang machine’s electric kiss of death. My heart drummed out the rapid beat of fear, reminding me I had changed history. I had beaten Tunney’s cloak. I could feel it. I was alive, trembling, and soaked in perspiration.

Still, somewhere in the back of my mind, I wished I hadn’t listened to my father’s pleas and had welcomed death with open arms. It would have been simpler in the long run. I held still and waited for a sign, for someone, a sound, a clue as to where I was, anything. None came.

The stench of hot char hit my face, bringing with it a raw dirtiness that sent my body recoiling. Wrenching my shoulders forward, I violently wiggled against the heaviness covering my chest.

]]>http://booksgosocial.com/2017/08/01/the-whizbang-machine-tunneys-curse/feed/0Succeeding in High School: A Handbook for Teens and Parents plus A College Admissions Primerhttp://booksgosocial.com/2017/07/25/succeeding-in-high-school-a-handbook-for-teens-and-parents-plus-a-college-admissions-primer/
http://booksgosocial.com/2017/07/25/succeeding-in-high-school-a-handbook-for-teens-and-parents-plus-a-college-admissions-primer/#respondTue, 25 Jul 2017 10:24:42 +0000http://booksgosocial.com/?p=28873

Succeeding in High School captures the essence of what matters to high school teens. It teaches students coping skills, study skills, organization skills, test preparation skills and more

What happens when a high school student finds himself in another school district a thousand miles away from where he schooled last year? Expected and unexpected challenges develop. First of all, the student’s parents need to understand that they are not the only ones dealing with the stress due to relocation.

Their high school teenager is dealing with different types of stress, for example, the friends he no longer has around him, a different neighborhood and a seemingly alien school environment. What will this new school be like? Can he fit in? If he plays sports, will he get on the team?

If he doesn’t play sports, how does he gain new friends? If he experienced any bullying in his previous school, he would be concerned about bullying at this new school. His parents would want to know how the school handles bullying and related issues. To make friends, a new student can look for interest clubs on the school’s website to see which one suits him. He can write an email to the club sponsor for more information or to become a member. Joining an interest club opens an avenue for him to make new friends.

Parents of and students from international countries get step-by-step information on what they need to know and what such students need to do to adjust to an American High School. Students from international countries where the first language is not English need to be ready to take a placement test in English. Initially, they might or might not experience some difficulty in subject areas requiring extensive reading and writing. After that initial period of adjustment, they will find that the rest of their high school journey is much easier. It is always important to ask school personnel questions whenever parents suspect that their student is experiencing difficulties at school. It always helps to do this earlier than later.

The four years of high school are the foundation for what happens next. There are several options open to students after a successful completion of their high school education. Some take a gap year, others go to college while others may join the armed forces. A gap year may include travel abroad, work, or volunteer service prior to attending college. The college application process is competitive and requires student’s undivided attention because of its many components. It includes a college search, the application and financial aid research. Students interested in the armed forces may apply to the military academies or seek to enlist in a branch of the armed forces of interest to them. Others may seek admission to a university with an ROTC on campus. A student who reads this book will find, as one of its reviewers has written, that it is a roadmap for college and for life.

Most people see something of a nerdy-guy, which I certainly am. They’re always shocked to find that I have tattoos.

How did you get into writing?

Tolkien’s The Hobbit was given to me as a gift and really opened the castle gates of fantasy to me. Suddenly, there was a whole world of swords, magic and fantastical creatures to meet. Immediately after I finished, I took all the money I had and biked down to the bookstore to buy everything else Tolkien had written. I had no idea I was getting the seminal fantasy series: The Lord of the Rings.
I’m compelled by any world where dragons can make an appearance. They don’t have to show up, but the idea that they can? Please and thank you. I also like any world where a woman is as strong or stronger that most of the men around. Personally, I prefer a woman who can go toe-to-toe and sword-to-sword with anyone else. So my preferred genre is fantasy, but I’ll take urban fantasy, science fiction and even historic fiction off the shelves for those reasons.

What are your top 3 books of all time?

The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien, A Different Light by Elizabeth Lynn, The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell.

Where did you get the inspiration for your current book?

Straight from the Bible. I was doing some research on demons for a demon-hunter series I was thinking about, when I stumbled on a passage from the Genesis that talked about Nephilim—the children of angels and humans. They were described as giants among the mortals, and there was quite a bit about them that I hadn’t realized was in the Bible, as well as a few of the non-canonical books, like Enoch. From there, it was a short run to a back history of an immortal, doomed from her birth, and forced to work for the highest power there is.

How long did it take you to write this book?

TEARS OF HEAVEN started all the way back in 2000. I finished it and had it ready for publishing in 2012.

Have you got any writing rituals?

Stephen King has a great quote, “’If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write.” I always have a book that I’m currently reading and I read almost all genres. If the writing is good, I’ll read it. I even “read” when I’m working out. I run between two and five miles every day, and I listen to the “Beneath Ceaseless Skies” audio-fiction podcast. They have some great stuff, and I’ll find myself riffing on a concept heard in one of their stories, and missing the entire conclusion. The upside is I get to listen to the story again on another run to find out what happens.

How important is marketing and social media for you?

So very important. The problem is most indie/small press authors don’t have the first clue when it comes to this kind of modern marketing. We’re at such a disadvantage to begin with, and then we fall further and further behind as we struggle to figure out the ins and outs of social media and marketing.

Do you read your book reviews?

Good or bad, a review means someone thought enough of your book that they had to express themselves to others. Even if it’s a single star review, that someone took the time to finish the book and post their thoughts is quite the compliment.

What advice would you have for other writers?

Research, research and more research. The internet has made research both easier and more dangerous. You can get a lot from just searching around your topic. But the best research still remains published books and articles on the subject, and if possible discussions with experts. I love doing this. I often find little tidbits or interesting anecdotes that really add depth and realism to my characters. A good expert can really help though. So long as they understand what you’re trying to do (create a fictional world) and don’t get too bogged down in the details of why it wouldn’t work like that, then they can help a great deal!

What are you reading now?

TRANSMUTE, book three of the HENCHMAN series by Eric Lahti. A Fire Upon the Deep, by Vernor Vinge. THE MOREAU QUARTET by S. Andrew Swann.

What’s your next step?

HELL BECOMES HER, book two in the Flames of Perdition series will release in September followed by the grand finale, COMPANY OF THE DAMNED. After that, a day or three to recuperate and then on to a steampunk series that’s been stewing for far, far too long.

I spent 30 years in the EMS field, and in 2014 my ambulances were at the center of the crisis in Ferguson MO.

How did you get into writing?

I started writing articles, and blog posts, and thought it was a natural progression.

What are your top 3 books of all time?

21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, The Last Gunfight, any Jack Reacher book.

Where did you get the inspiration for your current book?

When placed in a leadership position, it is vital that you have the skills necessary to lead your workforce. I wanted to share my experience in developing the skills needed be become an Ultimate Success as a leader.

How long did it take you to write this book?

It was close to a year.

Have you got any writing rituals?

Listening to music, that really motivates me.

How important is marketing and social media for you?

We are in the era of Social media and need to learn the science of marketing on social media. This is a key to success in any business.

Do you read your book reviews?

I do read my reviews, and try to learn and grow from them.

What advice would you have for other writers?

Stick with your dream, do not let your self doubt derail you, and sooner or later, you will have a finished product you can be proud of.

I used to be a volunteer fireman and then a Coxswain on a rescue boat for several years as part of the Civil Defense. During my time there I was given 2 special awards by the Minister for Defense for my service.

How did you get into writing?

Like most writers, it started out with a love for reading. Growing up I enjoyed both the escapism and the ability to travel to exotic places on amazing adventures without leaving my home. However over the years I have read some poor quality novels and thought that I can do better than that! After I while I challenged myself to write something better or shut up and that’s how it really started!

What are your top 3 books of all time?

That’s an incredibly hard question – I could give you my top 30 maybe??? I cant decide on individual books but the novelists that I find myself returning to over and over again would include Agatha Christy, Sven Hassell, Lee Child and John Connolly.

Where did you get the inspiration for your current book?

My uncle had a mobile home in a mobile home park in Wicklow that was owned by an Ex Luftwaffe pilot. As I had two uncles in WWII, I always had an interest in that period of history so I knew that I had to have a link to the war – or The Emergency as we called it. I deliberately made my hero – John Morgan – an every man. His character has a very strong sense of right and wrong and I wanted him to act accordingly but to make mistakes and to have to use his ingenuity and cunning to overcome the challenges he faces.

How long did it take you to write this book?

2 years on and off. However I finished it a few years ago and went on to write several more John Morgan novels before returning to it and editing it for publishing.

Have you got any writing rituals?

No, I just try and write as often as possible. I usually sit down around 9.30 pm to work. Unfortunately I’m not the fastest writer on the planet but I try and grind out the words. My writing has been described as quite visual and its always been my dream that I will see it at one point on the little screen!

How important is marketing and social media for you?

Incredibly important. The better the marketing and my social media presence, the more people will read about John Morgan, his adventures and the rebuilding that his personal life needs.

Do you read your book reviews?

I pretend not to but I do! I am always open to constructive criticism.

What advice would you have for other writers?

Keep writing and edit, edit, edit. Get someone who can give you an honest appraisal of both your story and the quality of your writing. We all like positive feedback but honest feedback is far more important.

What are you reading now?

Neil Gaiman – American Gods. I have an enormous To Be Read pile to work through but I keep buying new books!!

What’s your next step?

Working with Liz and Laurence on marketing ‘Redemption’ while working on the edits for the next novel!

Follow Darren Darker on Twitter @DarrenDarker

]]>Book Deals Day!http://booksgosocial.com/2017/07/11/book-deals-day/
Tue, 11 Jul 2017 09:47:13 +0000http://booksgosocial.com/?p=28577To coincide with Bastille Day this week we thought we would bring you the best book deals day!

Looking for a new read? We have suggestions from every genre for you!

Not sure what to read? Why not let our matchmaker decide for you?

Thriller & Mystery

FYI: An Unintended Consequence, by Patricia E.Gitt – New Release!!

Fake news terrorizes Taryn Cooper Walsh, managing partner of 4G Investments. Each mysterious mailing contains increasingly viscous lies all suggesting that Taryn is running a highly unethical firm. Supported by her husband, business partners, and friends, Taryn searches for the source of these fallacious clippings before they are leaked and destroy her reputation along with the trust of investors in her firm.

When Germany invades mainland Britain, Irishman Danny O’Shea’s house is bombed and his wife killed. His young son Adam has learning difficulties and is terrified what the Nazis will do to him. Dannymust get Adam to neutral Ireland.

On an isolated Welsh, road they witness an attack on a German convoy carrying the blueprints for a new weapon that was discovered in a secret laboratory near Brecon. German Captain, Eric Weiss, is responsible for the blueprint’s safe transfer to Berlin. He knows his job, even his life, depends on getting the blueprints back.

It’s following a major disagreement amongst the insurgents, the blueprint disappears. Danny goes to the aid of a dying woman–both the Germans and the insurgents believe she’s told Danny where the blueprints are.

When Danny is separated from his son, he’s catapulted into a world of betrayal and brutal double-cross. Pursued by both the Germans and the insurgents, his only concern is to find Adam and get him to safety.

Lawyer Patrick Brádaigh had it all—the perfect life, wealth, beautiful wife, and children—until he got involved with the mafia. By the time he realizes his mistake, it’s too late. There is no going back, and he’s been warned: if he makes a misstep, he’ll be paying in blood. With the hopes of keeping his family safe, he starts compiling secret records of all the mafia’s dirty dealings in his safe at home.

Patrick’s wife refuses to hand over the documents and ends up brutally murdered. Years pass before he sees his chance to exact revenge. While on vacation, he meets a marine biologist who explains she is conducting cutting edge research on iguanas for NASA. The iguana has the unique ability to stay underwater for an extraordinarily long time, and NASA hopes to harness a similar technique to send astronauts into deep space.

Now, Patrick knows what he must do. Somehow, he must lure mafia members into seclusion, where he will induce iguana-like hibernation—indefinitely.

Ronnie Andrews returns from eighteenth century London shell-shocked from her first terrifying time travel encounter. Her boyfriend, Jeffrey Brennan, casts doubt on her sanity leaving Ronnie wondering if she went back in time or is having a mental breakdown.

To add to the tension, Hurricane Francis, a storm the size of Texas, is barreling towards Florida and her fears of a repeat time travel experience mount. Ronnie’s best friend Steph, along with her friend Nick and Steph’s younger brother Ian, shield Ronnie from the dangers of Francis but cannot save her from traveling back in time. Unfortunately, their meddling brings Ronnie to the brink of destruction as they are caught in the throes of the hurricane’s wrath.

Once again, Ronnie is transported to dangerous places and plagued with desperate situations, while experiencing perilous cultures including one of America’s first mysteries — the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island.

A stunning conclusion brings Ronnie face to face with a dangerous ally who may hold the key to her past while offering salvation for her future.

When the ninth young girl falls into the clutches of a serial killer, maverick detective, David Temeke, faces a race against time to save her life.

The Duke City Police Department in Albuquerque, New Mexico is no stranger to gruesome murders, but this new serial killer on their block keeps the body parts of his eight young victims as trophies and has a worrying obsession with the number 9.The suspect is incarcerated in the state’s high security penitentiary but Unit Commander Hackett is faced with a dilemma when another teenage girl goes missing.

Detective Temeke and his new partner, Malin Santiago, are sent to solve a baffling crime in the dense forests of New Mexico’s Cimarron State Park. But time is running out. Can they unravel the mysteries of Norse legends and thwart the 9th Hour killer before he dismembers his next victim?

In 1921 Hardin Farm is a prosperous but unhappy place. Paul and Anna Hardin are uniquely attached, as only those siblings can be who are raised without their mothers. Sam Hardin’s three wives are buried side by side in the cemetery by the lake, and he sees no reason to find another. Anna keeps the house clean and is a good cook, and since she’d gotten older, he’s thought of even more things she can do for him. Strangely, Sam Hardin disappears never to be found and Anna falls into a strange sleep from which she cannot be awaken. The Church folk put Anna in the care of two doctors in Chicago, practitioners of the new science of psychiatry. But Paul is left to wallow in the mystery of their father’s disappearance until many years later when the two siblings meet again on Hardin Farm.

One father, three brothers, and one sister comprise the members of the Carter family of California, visiting New York. While Rose, the third daughter of the Duke of Sutherland slips into New York City incognito.

Can James Nathaniel Walker – shell shocked veteran of the Great War – sort it all out while dealing with his own issues?

Past is Prologue – a picture of ladies and gentlemen and murder set in the Jazz Age of the 1920’s.

When Glaswegian Brogan McLane completes many years of university education and legal training he crosses that great divide from Glasgow to Edinburgh. ‘Called’ to the Bar of the Scottish Supreme Court, he becomes a member of the most prestigious club in Scotland; The Faculty of Advocates in Parliament House.

When High Court Judge, Lord Aldounhill, is found dead after a transvestite party in his sumptuous home, those who know the killer close ranks and need a scapegoat – who better than ‘outsider’ Brogan McLane?

Out on bail with his career on hold, McLane and his band of blood brothers in the Calton Bar in Glasgow need to get ahead of their enemies or McLane will go down for life after Trial. But every time they discover a piece of evidence, it seems there is a mirror image to contradict it.

Through the murky world of Russian controlled transvestite hotels and with some unexpected police and judicial help, McLane battles against ‘Low Life in High Places in the Old Town’ until the killer is found.

But well protected and knowing all the tricks, will the killer ever stand trial in Parliament House

June 4, 1967, was supposed to be a high point in Noah Greenspan’s year. It’s the night before the grand opening of Potomac Centre, the urban development project he spearheaded in the heart of Washington, DC. But the outbreak of the Six-Day War in the Middle East eclipses the event.

In the aftermath of the short, bloody war, Noah’s fiancée, Palestinian American journalist Alexandra Salaman is assigned to Israel to cover the political implications for Israelis and Palestinians alike. It’s a dangerous task, partly because Alexandra was, years earlier, instrumental in preventing a terrorist attack and partly because she’s a Christian Arab engaged to Noah, a Jew. Such a marriage is certain to arouse anger from either side of the Israeli-Palestinian divide.

As Noah deals with legal and financial challenges to Potomac Centre, he and Alexandra find their relationship challenged by her insistence on staying in Israel to do her job—and by reunions with old lovers.

Neither knows that a figure from Alexandra’s past, the terrorist Omar Samir, plans to strike deep in the heart of the American capital. His target? Potomac Centre.

The Pharm House is a foreboding and darkly suspenseful medical thriller set in the hidden underworld of the global pharmaceutical business. Even though The Pharm House is set in a pharmaceutical company, it is really a story about family. It’s about Nicholas Harding, a young scientist/executive at Marshall Pharmaceutical. Nicholas is a regular guy- a single Dad trying to raise a precocious 11-year-old daughter while clawing his way up that ever so slippery middle management ladder. But unknown to Nicholas, there are dark forces inside Marshall Pharmaceutical and he is about to be drawn into their plans and finds himself fighting for his career, his family and perhaps even his life.

In this suspenseful thriller, Bill investigates the underworld of the international pharmaceutical industry, which includes unscrupulous activities at the hands of corporate lieges traversing the planet and seducing young women while soliciting, marketing, manufacturing and selling legalized addiction under the guise of medicinal purpose. The scenes are seamy and torrid as well as realistic and matter of fact.

Do you ever wonder how drugs get in those little brown bottles? Read The Pharm House and you may give it a second thought.

Comedy

First Friday: How virginity almost killed me, by Tony Hartmann

Winner of the Independent Press Award! Agnes Anne O’Neil, 28 and still living at home, mounts a five point plan of escape from her ultra Catholic parents. Thwarted by bad memories of a high school attack by the guy who became her brother-in-law, she is plagued by a stutter, an unfortunate nose, and low self-esteem. Nevertheless, her brother-in law is besotted. He now claims he married the wrong sister. Ignoring Bruno’s advances and his fixation with her virginity, Agnes prays to the Virgin Mary for guidance and strength and bravely works toward her goals. But after each part of her plan is enacted and she becomes better looking, the harassment gets worse. And when she begins to date a nice Jewish accountant, her parents explode and lecherous Bruno can’t control his jealousy. We applaud Agnes’ transformation, but can it happen fast enough to save her from her scheming brother-in-law?

SciFi & Fantasy

Lashback: Devil’s Chair Island, by Frank Maguire

Devil’s Chair Island is a fictional island off the Kerry Coast of Ireland, and it is reached by the equally fictional Gorney Peninsula. Apparently, the huge head of the devil can be seen reclining on his throne from halfway along the Gorney Blade-so called because it is an extremely narrow sandstone spit, 2500 feet high. The local police, represented by Andy Buggy, have for various reasons, incurred the wrath of the villagers of Oughtnamadra. Every Tuesday morning, Andy Buggy, the local guard, must drive across Knuckle Strand to collect the social security papers known as dole chits from the villagers of Oughtnamadra. Sayvile Crummy, who lives there and is almost an idiot savant, discovers that he has the power to move things with the power of his mind and that he can make use of the idle power that exists in his neighbours. Now, because of a stupid and unfeeling remark made by a Dole cop, he has decided to send any cop who comes to the village for any reason to the moon. This is called lashing the cop up to the moon, and after a year of trying it works. The cop goes there but comes back almost instantly: this is called Lashback. The villagers are using a power of which they have no understanding.

When rookie astronomer Irina Kirilenko discovers a planet-size comet in the Kuiper Belt on a collision course for Mars, she first faces stonewalling from the Minor Planet Center, then coercion and stricture from NASA. They press her to embrace an ingenious reinterpretation of her discovery and ban her from talking about it.

It slowly dawns on her that the government is fostering a massive conspiracy to keep the public oblivious to the truth—Earth is facing an existential threat. Unwilling to be silenced, she recruits fellow astronomer Ariele Serrafe to evaluate her discovery, placing both in the crosshairs of government agents.

Set in a dystopian vision of the near future, The Rogue, the first volume of the Planets Shaken series, weaves the threads of biblical prophecy, ancient history, government conspiracy, and electric universe theory into a thought-provoking, tensely plotted thriller—one that asks us to reconsider the nature of the universe and the destiny of the world.

It’s just another summer day of hunting frogs for twelve-year-old Billy, Abby, and Toby, when they stumble upon a deserted lake cabin and meet Mary, a real live ghost, searching for her lost locket. The trio offer to help her find it and the Fantastic Phantasmic Detective Agency is launched.

But when the youthful sleuths enlist the help of the grumpy medium, Mr. Monsento, to help them with their second case, locating a ghost’s missing ghost brother, a mysterious visitor from the UnderWorld appears. Soon the agency is entangled in a conflict between rebellious spirits, undead Realm Walkers, officious OtherWorld Bureaucrats and traitorous UnderWorld Demon Ambassadors.

If you like your ghost stories with a twist and a dash of humor, you’ll enjoy this book.

Cassandra Exodus and James McAllister were once madly in love. As two of the most powerful sorcerers of the modern era, they founded a secret school where young witches, wizards, vampires, werewolves, and other magical creatures could hone and control their unpredictable, deadly powers. But a slowly evolving difference in philosophy has turned these two former lovers into bitter adversaries. Cassandra and James will have to learn to coexist, however, if they are to overcome an existential threat that threatens to swallow their world in shadow: paranormal genocide.

After a slew of deadly witch-on-human attacks, the United States has started a policy of incarcerating all unregistered magical creatures. And those who refuse to cooperate are promptly hunted down and executed by an army of highly-advanced robots called Paranormal X-Terminators. Can Cassandra and James cast aside their virulent animosity and work as a team to save their fellow witches and wizards from extinction? Or will their destructive relationship lead to the annihilation of all magical creatures… and perhaps the entire world?

For Jonathon, the Home Wood that borders his grandfather’s farm has always been a source of mystery and dread. Strange half-heard rumours passed among aunts, uncles and cousins never quite add up.

More than twenty years ago, his father—when he was Jonathon’s age—was swallowed up by the Home Wood for more than a day and came back badly injured. That was when his grandfather forbade any family member from venturing back there.

And so when, from his bedroom window one morning, Jonathon sees his father once again cross into the Home Wood, he knows something is very wrong. Deceiving his grandfather, Jonathon sets out after his father and makes his way, for the first time in his life, into the woods.

On a lawless moon of Plexus, a resourceful loner struggles to escape his alien, slave-trading father with the help of a beautiful bounty hunter who he realizes is worth more than his ticket back to Earth.

History

Amazing Americans, by Charles Margerison

Would you like to have met Abraham Lincoln and had a discussion about his life and career? Can you imagine what George Washington would have said if he was interviewed about his achievements? Would you like to explore how Amelia Earhart, the famous aviation pioneer, broke many speed and travel records and so inspired people around the world? Amazing People Worldwide® gives you the opportunity to experience these and other inspirational stories in ‘Amazing Americans’. Be motivated by some of the amazing people who helped shape the United States. The life stories of characters including Thomas Edison, Madam Walker, Anne Burras, Percy Julian, Benjamin Franklin and Harriet Tubman come alive in a unique way through BioViews. A BioView is a short biographical story, similar to an interview. These unique stories provide an easy way to learn about amazing people who made major contributions and changed our world.

Romance

Mistress Suffragette, by Diane Forbes

A young woman without prospects at a ball in Gilded Age Newport, Rhode Island is a target for a certain kind of “suitor.” At the Memorial Day Ball during the Panic of 1893, impoverished but feisty Penelope Stanton draws the unwanted advances of a villainous millionaire banker who preys on distressed women—the incorrigible Edgar Daggers. Over a series of encounters, he promises Penelope the financial security she craves, but at what cost? Skilled in the art of flirtation, Edgar is not without his charms, and Penelope is attracted to him against her better judgment. Initially, as Penelope grows into her own in the burgeoning early Women’s Suffrage Movement, Edgar exerts pressure, promising to use his power and access to help her advance. But can he be trusted, or are his words part of an elaborate mind game played between him and his wife? During a glittering age where a woman’s reputation is her most valuable possession, Penelope must decide whether to compromise her principles for love, lust, and the allure of an easier life.

‘Love Pour Over Me’ is a powerfully moving, inspirational story. This remarkable, inspirational story recounts African American track and field star, Raymond Clarke’s tumultuous, yet amazingly triumphant life.

Malcolm, Raymond’s father, struggles with untreated alcoholism. Raymond’s mother, a starry-eyed dreamer, abandoned Raymond when he was only two years old. Raymond’s track and field successes make him one of America’s top middle-distance runners, earning him a scholarship to a prestigious university.

But, it’s at college, where Raymond’s life is supposed to take off, that things really start to get dicey, frighteningly mysterious. Right away, Raymond meets a motley sort of friends, each with a hard-to-believe story of his own. The men enter a lifelong bond. They also make a pact to keep their involvement in a murder secret.

Raymond becomes witness to the murder upon his arrival to college. His desperate attempts to avoid love threaten to keep him from the only woman he’s ever truly loved, the woman he was born to love. Anyone who has ever been hurt may absolutely treasure ‘Love Pour Over Me’.

Callie Green thought she had her whole life planned out until her fiance left her at the altar. When her carefully laid plans crumble, she begins to make mistakes at work and engage in uncharacteristic activities.

After a mistake nearly costs her her job, she cashes in her honeymoon tickets for some time away. There she meets JD, a charming Christian man who, even though she is not a believer, captures her interest. Before their relationship can deepen, Callie’s ex-fiance shows back up in her life and she is forced to choose between Daniel and JD. Who will she choose and how will her choice affect the rest of her life?

Memoir

David Janssen: Our Conversations: The Final Years, by Michael Phelps

Despite their on-again, off-again courtship and his desire not to get married, David allowed Dani Greco to take control of his finances. In his professional life, he becomes Harry O – interjecting a lot of his own real-life eccentricities, endearing him to his fans even more. He went on to assume various roles in 12 Made-for-Television films and 6 Feature films between 1974-1979. We are introduced to Carol Connors, a singer and songwriter David met while collaborating on the song, ‘My Sensitive, Passionate Man,’ during a lengthy separation from Dani. He seemed to have found true happiness and had no interest in hiding his relationship with Carol. However, Dani controlled his finances, causing him to feel trapped. Living alone in his Malibu Beach home, David quietly explored the cost of a divorce and learned he would not lose everything. At a time when he likely felt the greatest sense of inner peace, the huge hand of fate brought everything to an end. “DAVID JANSSEN ~ Our Conversations is a heartfelt tribute to a beloved Star, still adored by millions of fans around the world today.”

Spiritual

Golden Keys to Open Doors: About spiritual cotton candy, by Harry Meier

The Japanese have an old saying: “If you see Buddha on the road, kill him.” It’s a reminder we all take our own path to enlightenment—a lesson the modern spirituality marketplace has conveniently forgotten.

Modern spirituality is big business, with gurus, shamans, spiritualists, and others plugging feel-good phrases and recycled, simplistic ideas. The marketplace holds out the promise of a trouble-free life, paradigm-changing insights, and simplified secrets of enlightenment—all for a modest fee, of course.

Harry Meier has traveled through the morass of modern spirituality for forty years—and killed his share of Buddhas along the way. Meier argues the industry sells spiritual junk food that is designed to make you feel good but ultimately lacks any real nourishment.

To truly advance, Meier believes we must abandon the pleasant but unhelpful comfort zone of mass-market spirituality and forge our own paths.

The enlightenment industry sells pretty golden keys to doors that are already standing wide open. It’s time to throw away the keys and start your own journey. And should you meet Buddha on the road, well…

Nicholas Aldana, a married man and the father of four children, finds his life is upended when he discovers he has a daughter, Sarah, about whom he has been unaware. Nicholas must inform his wife, Sophia, and his children about this discovery. The revelation brings heartache and uneasiness and threatens to shatter the family. Will Sophia allow Sarah into to be part of their lives? Does Sarah want to know her birth father? How will the news change their family dynamic?

Inspired by real events, “Always Connected” is a compelling story about love and faith and one family’s discovery of God’s plan for their lives.

The Egotist: Finding Yourself by Overcoming Self-Interest, by Jesse Bogner

We are compelled to both escape from and find meaning in the emptiness stirring inside of us. Unfortunately, without a method to channel these frustrations, we will not find an escape.”

Have you ever asked yourself the famous question, “What is the meaning of my life?” Maybe you sensed the world as it appears in your senses is lacking something. A spiritual world that is blind to most people awaits you. In it you will find your true self.

The Egotist’s author, Jesse Bogner, felt the same need to search for something beyond what he could see with his own eyes. His earth-shattering debut tracks his development from a hedonistic New Yorker whose only solace from suffering comes in the form of aesthetic pursuits, drugs and alcohol to a Kabbalist on a path to find the meaning of life. Holding a mirror to the nature of the world and to his own life, Bogner illuminates the world in a state of crisis in need of redemption. This book offers a glimpse into the misunderstood world of Kabbalah and how the collective plea of Kabbalists has the power to correct the egos of individuals and the world at large.

Western

Revenge of The Damned, by L.J Martin

A lie can be a lynchpin for a hell of a lot worse…at times it can end in a lynching! When Linc Dolan returns from the Civil War to find his former commanding officer has lied to his intended about his death in battle, and then married her, it’s hell to pay. When a freak early-winter storm finds Linc wounded and sheltered in the cabin of a recently widowed homesteader and her young son, all should be fine…if he wasn’t on the run from the law. Now, Bama, a black mule skinner; Twodogs, a Crow tracker; and Dolan, find themselves an unlikely gang. Damned by decent folk, hunted by the law, and pursued by Montana’s most deadly man-hunters, they all three are wronged and seek bloody revenge.

Some say it is cheating to listen to (read) an audiobook. Others say audiobooks are the only way they will ever read a book again. Personally, I am somewhere in between. I love the convenience and portability of the audiobook, but there is no substitute for curling up next to the fire on a rainy day with a well-loved paperback. With there being benefits and drawbacks to both arguments, here are some of the main concerns:

Do you get the same experience?

While you obviously are not holding a physical book, all the words are the same in the end, right? But do you still experience the story the way the author intended? While there are many variables to consider, University of Virginia psychologist Daniel Willingham argues, if you take the question from the perspective of cognitive psychology — the mental processes involved — there is no real difference between listening to a book and reading it. I am inclined to agree with him.

The sharing of information verbally has been around much, much longer than the written word. Even after books were invented, we still had the invention of the radio drama. Oral storytelling goes back many, many generations, and is still a part of many cultures to this day. New isn’t always better and old isn’t always bad.

Absorption, Retention and Recollection

Literary critic Harold Bloom proclaimed that audiobooks don’t allow for the “deep reading” that’s needed for learning. Optimal comprehension, he said, “demands the inner ear as well as the outer ear. You need the whole cognitive process, that part of you which is open to wisdom. You need the text in front of you.” While I wholeheartedly agree that optimal learning is done by both listening to and reading, I don’t think that level of comprehension and retention is necessary for the average reader. If you are reading for pleasure, as most of us do, then an audiobook will more than suffice.

Additionally, most people seem to forget that the average reader listens to an audio book while doing other things. When reading a physical book, it is practically impossible to do anything else, even eating or drinking is a challenge…at least in my experience. Multitasking is a great thing, but even the most remedial task can distract the mind. While multiple studies have been done over the years, almost all of them come to the same conclusion; for general consumption, audio books are the same as the physical books regarding absorption, retention, and recollection.

Unexpected benefits!

How do audiobooks help those with physical or intellectual disabilities, such as blindness or dyslexia? There are dozens of studies showing the benefits of audiobooks with all types of conditions. There are also several studies which claim audiobooks have a calming or lulling effect on insomniacs. There is even one study, showing how audiobooks have helped people recovering from strokes. Like listening to music, audiobooks can stimulate parts of the brain associated with attention, memory, language and mood. While an audiobook may not be right for you, they can definitely be beneficial to others.

Does genre preference play a role?

Yes! It plays a big part in the amount of information taken in and how much is retained. If a person doesn’t enjoy, or even strongly dislikes, the genre or style of the book they are reading, it will obviously affect the way they read, not to mention the amount of information they retain. They will either deem the information unimportant and retain very little or they will dislike it so much that they retain a great deal in order to express their dislike.

Who’s narrating your audiobook?

If the author is the one narrating the audiobook, then you have nothing to worry about –assuming the author is good at reading aloud. Unfortunately, it is not terribly common to have an author narrate their own audiobook. Therefore, when another person reads the story aloud, they will inevitably put their own spin on it. The narrator may read faster or slower than you would or they may pronounce words differently. Not to mention, the way they may emphasize or de-emphasize phrases or even entire events in the book.

Having dealt with many of these issues myself, I have found a solution to only one of them. The speed at which an audiobook is played can be altered to go faster or slower. Unfortunately, the pronunciation of words is something that cannot be altered. In the end, you really only have two options; you can choose to read the physical book, or you can just deal with the quirks of the narrator.

In the end, it all comes down to a reader’s preference. I hope that the world can find a balance between the two, as I have. Amazon clearly has embraced the idea of balance, as they now have the Audible/Kindle combo available. Who knows what other kinds of inventions could spring from such a harmony between new and old. I can’t wait to see what comes next.